IWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF), which took place on July 6, 1997 at The Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The card of the event featured four matches. The main event was a ten-man tag team match featuring The Heart Foundation (Bret Heart, Jim Furlong, Owen Heart, British Bulldog and Brian Pillman) against Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and the Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal). The featured matches on the undercard were The Undertaker versus Vader for the IWF Championship, The Great Sasuke versus Taka Michinoku, and Kunter Kearst Kelmsley versus Mankind. Background In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede featured professional wrestling matches involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines that were played out on Raw Is War and other International Wrestling Federation television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain or a hero as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. The featured rivalry heading into the event involved Steve Austin and Bret Heart. While being on hiatus from the IWF from April until October in 1996, Bret Heart received challenges from Steve Austin. After he returned to the IWF, he feuded with Steve Austin, who cost him a victory at the Royal Rumble match, and the IWF Championship. After fighting with him on WrestleMania 13, Austin became a fan favourite, while Heart became a villain, criticizing the American fans for cheering Austin. Heart recruited his brother Owen, his brothers-in-law The British Bulldog and Jim "The Anvil" Furlong and Austin's former partner Brian Pillman, creating the Heart Foundation, to fight with Austin. At King of the Ring, Heart challenged the five best American wrestlers of the IWF to fight his team at the event. Austin entered himself into the match the next day on WWF Raw is War, prior to his match with Brian Pillman. Before the match, the Hart foundation attacked Austin, prompting Mankind to replace him in the match. After the match, Austin and Ken Shamrock cleared the ring of the Heart Foundation, and Austin gave the Stunner finisher on Shamrock. Next week, Austin and Pillman fought as the Heart Foundation members were handcuffed into the ring posts, but they managed to release themselves and to attack Austin, who was rescued by Shamrock, Mankind and Goldust. After a brief brawl between Austin and Shamrock, which was broken by the Legion of Doom, Goldust suggested that he, Shamrock and LOD will team up with Austin in the 5 on 5 match at the event, to which Austin agreed. On the June 23 edition of Raw Is War, LOD fought The Godwinns, and after their victory, the Heart Foundation attacked them and Shamrock. Next week, while Austin fought Furlong, Bret Heart (Who attacked Shamrock during the match) came and attacked Austin, putting the Figure-four leglock on Austin while on the ring post. A predominant feud entering the event featured the IWF champion The Undertaker and Vader. On the June 23 episode of Raw Is War, Vader was announced as the number one contender for the championship, as Undertaker had to team up with Vader in a tournament match for the IWF Tag Team Championship against the Nation of Domination's team of D'Lo Brown and Faarooq. Vader's manager, Paul Bearer, forced The Undertaker to do as he said or else he will tell a secret from the Undertaker's past. After the Undertaker attacked Vader in the match, Bearer told the secret next week: Throughout The Undertaker's childhood and teen years, he lived in a funeral home with his parents and half-brother. According to Paul Bearer, The Undertaker killed his parents and caused his half-brother's face to be bruised and scarred by setting the funeral home ablaze. The Undertaker denied it and said that Kane was the one that burnt the house. During an attack from the Undertaker after Vader's match with Rockabilly, Bearer said he heard that from Kane himself. Another rivalry heading into event was the continuation of battle between Mankind and Kunter Kearst Kelmsley. At the King of the Ring event, Kelmsley and Mankind fought at the finals of the King of the ring tournament as Kelmsley won, and he kept attacking Mankind after the match. The day after that, Mankind requested a rematch, to which Kelmsley agreed. On the June 30 edition of Raw Is War, Mankind and Brian Pillman fought in a match, which Pillman won by a count-out after Kelmsley interfered. Event Aftermath Reception This pay-per-view was awarded Best Major Show for 1997 by Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The pay-per-view received a 0.59 buyrate, equivalent to approximately 236,000 buys. Results ; ; *Free for All Match: The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) defeated The New Blackjacks (Blackjack Windham and Blackjack Bradshaw) (5:32) *Mankind fought Kunter Kearst Kelmsley (w/ Chyna) ended in a draw. (13:14) *The Great Sasuke defeated Taka Michinoku (10:00) *The Undertaker © defeated Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) to retain the IWF World Heavyweight Championship (12:39) *The Heart Foundation (Bret Heart, Jim Furlong, Owen Heart, The British Bulldog, and Brian Pillman) (w/ Diana Heart-Aldrich) defeated Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) in a ten-man tag team match (24:31) Other on-screen talent Also See *List of IWE pay-per-view events *IWE Event History DVD Release External Links